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The Wedding Ceremony/Marriage Supper Occurs Over the Course of Judgment Day

By Chris McCann
November 22, 2018

Someone is incorrectly teaching that E Bible Fellowship teaches that the marriage between Christ and His elect bride has already been consummated (on May 21, 2011). E Bible Fellowship has never taught this.

When the 5 wise virgins enter into the marriage and the door is shut (Matthew 25:10) this simply means that God has saved all to be saved and has brought them to the wedding.

Matthew 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

The Greek word (#1062) translated as "marriage" is the same word translated as "wedding" in some other places.

The Bible teaches that the 'wedding' ceremony is carried out over the course of Judgment Day:

Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

Notice that the "marriage” and the wife's readiness (all the elect which form the bride have been saved and thus made ready) are simultaneous.

Then, the marriage supper of the Lamb is executed:

Revelation 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

It's very clear that the "marriage" supper is occurring at the same time as the final judgment of mankind.

In a parable of a king inviting guests to the wedding (same Greek word #1062) we find that the guests are BOTH saved and unsaved. We know this because one is not wearing a proper wedding garment:

Matthew 22:10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

This passage is extremely significant. It teaches us, what we've learned from numerous other Scriptures, which is that both the righteous and the wicked enter into the final judgment process. This is expressed in the wedding parable by the fact that an unsaved individual was exposed DURING the wedding event.

We also find a second interesting fact that confirms something we've learned from many other Scriptures: the king, a type of God Himself, performs an inspection of the guests. The one lacking a proper wedding garment fails the inspection. This agrees with the Biblical teaching that God is trying or testing His people during this prolonged judgment period. And we also have learned that a good number of individuals do indeed fail the test (compare 1 Corinthians 3:12-16).

One last thing to note: since an unsaved individual was present at the wedding (again same word translated as “marriage” in Matthew 25:10) it becomes very obvious that the wedding (marriage) cannot be some sort of long awaited consummation of the spiritual marriage between Christ and His eternal church.

The Bible teaches us in Revelation 19, as well as in the parable of Matthew 22 and the wedding guests, that the time of the wedding is Judgment Day. In order for the wedding feast (supper) to get underway the bride had to first make herself ready (all the elect had to be saved/5 wise virgins enter into kingdom of God via salvation of their souls)--once ready then they are there at the marriage supper of the Lamb or at the wedding event as the wicked themselves are the ones devoured or destroyed.

It’s not at the beginning, but at the conclusion of Judgment Day that the marriage between Christ and His bride (whole company of the elect) is finally consummated.

Luke 12:36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

Notice carefully the order of events: we’re told to wait for the Lord because He “will return from the wedding”—that is, He will finish matters with the unsaved of the world by destroying them at the last day, and then, as it were, immediately return for His elect people (the bride). Notice also the last part of this verse. It says, “that when He cometh and knocketh, they may open unto Him immediately.” We see that the elect are somewhere inside a structure of some sort. A building. A house. A kingdom. And Christ will come and knock--what is normally knocked upon? The answer is a door. The elect are therefore located behind a door. And the door is shut. We’re certain they are inside and the door is shut because we’re told they must open it (they may open unto Him immediately). Why is God describing this kind of a picture for the coming of Christ and the end of the world and the consummation of the spiritual marriage? Because on May 21, 2011 all the elect (the bride) entered into the kingdom of God and the door was shut. Completely safe and secure via salvation, Christ then proceeded to go about the business of judging the world:

Isaiah 26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

After executing and completing the judgment process, Jesus returns to the safe chamber where His bride was left. The union between God and His elect bride is now sweetly consummated as both turn their attention to the glorious eternal future that has been ushered in.